OPERATIONS / SUPPLY CHAIN

Target finds itself in middle of national debate
An announcement by Target on its website saying it that would allow employees and customers to choose the restroom and fitting room that corresponded with their gender identities has thrust the chain into the middle of a contentious national debate.
IDC: Walmart takes the lead in another area
The word “big” is often associated with Walmart, and that adjective also applies to the discount retailer’s IT spending.

According to data from IDC, Walmart Stores Inc. spent more on IT than any other company globally in 2015, to the tune of more than $10.5 billion. No other retailer, not fellow large tech-focused organization Amazon.com, cracked the top 10 list.

Aeropostale gets delisted from NYSE

Troubled teen retailer Aeropostale Inc. has been dealt another blow.

On Friday, the New York Stock Exchange suspended trading of the retailer’s stock with immediate effect, due to an "abnormally low" trading price.

Aeropostale does not intend to appeal the delisting. It said its shares will instead be traded on the OTCQX Best Market, an over-the-counter market operated by OTC Markets Group Inc. The new ticker is "AROP".
Sears Holdings closing 78 more stores

Sears Holdings announced its latest round of store closings as it continues to look for ways to cut expenses and return to profitability after five years of losses.

The embattled retailer, which has been steadily shrinking its physical portfolio over the last few years, will close 68 Kmart and 10 Sears stores this summer. (See list of locations at end of story.) In February, Sears warned it would speed up the closing of unprofitable stores.
Target takes stand on transgender bathroom issue

Target Corp. weighed in on the national debate about which bathrooms transgender people can use, staking a position that is sure to elicit as much praise as it does criticism.

In a blog post on its company website Tuesday, the discounter said transgender employees and customers can use the restroom or fitting room facility that "corresponds with their gender identity."
Report: Target to increase minimum wage — again

Target Corp is raising its minimum wage to $10 an hour, Reuters reported.

The reported increase comes amid an increasingly competitive job market and widespread calls by activists and labor groups for retail and restaurant chains to offer higher wages.
Retailer suit targets EMV mandate

It was probably inevitable that somebody at some point would challenge the legality of the Oct. 1, 2015 EMV (Europay, Mastercard and Visa) liability shift.
On-call scheduling comes under scrutiny in eight more states

A controversial labor practice employed by some retailers is coming under increased scrutiny by U.S. regulators.
Survey: Most consumers have chip-enabled cards; retailer acceptance lags way behind

Most U.S. consumers now carry a smart credit card, but they haven’t had all that much opportunity to stop swiping and start dipping their cards into upgraded terminals.

That’s according to a survey of 932 U.S. credit card-holders by CreditCards.com, which found that 70% of respondents carry at least one chip-based card. This is up from only 14% in a survey conducted by the same company in September 2015, before the October 1 deadline that shifted liability for some fraud shifted from card issuers to merchants that can't accept the new cards.
Best Buy’s Geek Squad gets new green wheels

Best Buy is ditching the signature Volkswagen Beetle it has used to transport its tech support arm, the Geek Squad, over the past 14 years in favor of Toyota’s Prius c hybrid cars.

In addition to saving money on gasoline, switching to the hybrid gasoline-electric vehicle will produce about half the emissions of the previous Geekmobile over the life of the vehicle, in line with Best Buy’s commitment to reduce its own carbon emissions by 45% by 2020.